Six in 10 Mexican prisons 'self governed' by gangs
Six in 10 Mexican prisons are "self-governed" by prison gangs or drug cartels, a new report claims.
Six in 10 Mexican prisons are 'self-governed' by prison gangs or drug cartels Photo: ALAMY
8:20AM BST 25 Sep 2012
Prisons are also plagued by overcrowding, a shortage of guards and corrupt employees who sometimes help with breakouts, according to Mexico's human rights commission. Representative Andres Aguirre said 60 percent of the country's 430 prisons or jails are controlled by criminal elements.
He added that the escape of 521 inmates over 14 incidents since 2010 - often with the help of corrupt prison officials - constitutes a grave problem for the country.
Earlier this month, more than 130 inmates escaped from a prison near the U.S. border in Piedras Negras, Coahuila, one of numerous mass breakouts tied to organized crime in the past few years.
Initial reports indicated the Piedras Negras inmates escaped through a 23-foot-long underground tunnel, but it was later revealed that they had merely walked out the facility's front door with the help of prison guards.
"A good number of (Mexico's) prisons feature similar conditions to those at Piedras Negras," Mr Aguirre said. Overcrowding of the country's prisons and jails is another problem facing the national penal system.
As of July, Mexico's overall prison population stood at 48,872 inmates, or 25 percent above the system's official capacity. Mexico also faces a shortage of prison guards relative to international norms, Aguirre said.
The commission's findings are a reminder of the challenges that await Enrique Pena Nieto, Mexico's incoming president, who has pledged to reduce crime in the country after six years of increased gang-related violence under President Felipe Calderon.
Source: Reuters
